Railway-frog



Patented Sept. 27, |898. G. W. PARSONS.

RAILWAY FROG.

(Application filed Nov. l?, 1896.)

(No Model.)

. l i l -NrrEN STATESV eEoReE w. PARSONS', oE sTEELToN7 PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-FROG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,331, dated September 27, 1898.

` Application filed November 12, 1896. Serial No. 611,884. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern: y

Be it known that I, GEORGE WELLMAN PAR- SONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Steelton, in the county of Dauphin and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway- Frogs, of `which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is a plan View; Fig. 2, a view of arm on theflare part of the spring-rail; Fig. 3, a sectional view showing the attachment of said arm; Fig. Li, a view of combinationarm; Fig. 5, a sectional view showing combination-arm with rails; Figs. 6 and 7, sectional views across the frog; Figs. 8, 9, and l0, views of parts of anticreepin g fixture Fig.

1l, a view of reinforce-block.

My invention relates to frogs designed to endure the strains and destructive conditions incident to the passage of great traffic.

The object of my invention is to secure and control the spring-rail of the frog within the proper and safe limits of movement; also, to provide in the fixed wing-rail more `permanent and durable structures for resisting the destructive effects of wheels crossing an open flangeway.

The point A of the frog is preferably made of two pieces of rail a and a2, fitted inthe usual manner. The wing-rail `traversed by trains on one of the tracks involved in the frog (which we may call the passengertrack) is adapted to be normally pressed against the point of the frog, and thus provide for wheels traversing saidtrack a continuous support, such as is desirable for high-` speed trains, and the wing-rail referredv to I designate as spring-rail B. The wing-rail `traversed by trains on the other'track, which we may call the freight-track, I designate as fixed rail C. The surface of sleepers under the frog may not always remain level with each other and a settlement of a sleeper under the toe of the frog and the consequent springing downward of springfrail over such low sleeper would cause the other end of the spring-rail to rise, to prevent which I attach thereto a strong arm D to extend under the point-rail a2. The arm D is placed near the end of the flared part of the spring-rail, the flange portion of which is slotted, as shown in Fig. 2, to admit the shank cl of the arm. The upper part of the shank of the arm is provided with projecting lugs cl2 d2, adapted to rest directly on the fiange of the rail, thus` `edge of the flange of the spring-rail, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. I thus provide a fixture of more strength and permanence than any heretofore devised to engage under the point of the frog by which to prevent the flare end of the spring-rail from rising and also to prevent that end of the spring-rail from that tendency Yto roll or tip outward which arises from the backs of wheels pressing against the upper portion of the springrail, as such wheels move the spring-rail away from the point, to pass onto the fixed wing-rail C of the freight-track. Then wheels moving in the opposite direction upon the fixed wingrail C are passing off said rail onto the point, by the backs of the wheels moving the springrail outward as the wheels pass on the freighttrack the pressure of the wheels against the upper portionof the spring-rail has a tendency to .roll or tip it outward, especially in rails of maximum height, to prevent whichI apply a combination-arm fixture E, placed between the rails, attached to the spring-rail B, and extending toward the opposite rail C with its lower part, the arm etextending under wing-rail C, which thus serves to prevent the rising ofthe arm and the spring-rail B, to which it is attached. 'The combination-arm E is attached to the rail B by bolts through lugs e. A'Ihe shank eigwhioh passes between theflanges of rails B and C, is formed upon the body portion ewhich is adapted to t and rest upon the langeof rail'B and pass freely above the Iiange of rail C. The arm extends back of the shank, forming a heel e5. After the fixture E has been attached by the bolts it will be rigidly clamped upon the base of rail C by driving a Wedge e6 between the base of the rail B and the heel e5, by which to prevent strains 011 the arm from bending the shank. The body portion e2 serves three useful pu1'poses--viz., first, a stop against inward movement of spring-rail, as in case of breakage, by the end resting against the web IOO of the fixed wing-rail C; second, a foot-guard, preventing the unwary employee walkin g into the throat of the frog far enough to be held fast; third, a spring-case, the body being hollow. The spring and follower are passed in through a recess between the lugs e before the fixture is attached. The followeris adapted to receive the threaded end of spring-bolt passing through the fixed rail and drawn up by turning the bolt until the spring has the required resilience.

For the purpose of preventing longitudinal displacement of the spring -rail I connect the same to a rail-stop H, rigidly attached to the fixed rail parts of the frog'. As shown in Figs. l and 6, the railestop 4H is a casting embodying a level top h2, united at one end to a vertically-disposed wall h3 and at one side to a vertically-disposed wall, both of which are provided with lianges, forming a base, by means of which the stop is attached to a bedplate, which is secured to the fixed rails of the frog. The top h2 of the rail-stop I-I being extended toward the spring-rail sufficiently to allow the fiange of the spring-rail to pass beneath it,whenever the spring-rail is moved outwardly the edge of the top h2 acts against the head of the spring-rail or parts thereon adjacent to the head on a plane above the center,where the spring-rail will be most effectually prevented from outward movement without tendency to roll. The end wall h3 is extended toward the spring-rail, overhangin g the iiange thereof, thus preventing undue upward movements.

The connection between the rail-stop H and the spring-rail is made by means of an arm G on the spring-rail and a trussed link F, composed of two bars, secured together by a rivet through them and a separating-block, which is of the same thickness as the arm G and the top h2 of the rail-stop H, to which the ends of the link F are coupled. As the springrail moves outward the link F swings freely on the coupling-bolt h2, and when the springrail is by the springs pressed back the link insures its return to its original position.

As the wheels which pass over the open flangeway between the point of the frog and the iiXed wing-rail C in coming upon the latter produce effects like blows with destructive results which are greatest where the area of surface available to receive the impact of such wheels is the least, often resulting in wearing out of xed wing-rails in afew weeks, it becomes very important in designing a frog for a great amount of traffic to secure, if possible, a maximum durability for the fixed wing-rail, or at least that part of it which receives the impact of wheels crossing the open fiangeway, and this I have done by providing and inserting in said rail at the place where the destructive wear occurs a very durable hard-metal insert-block K. I have preferred to make the insert-block K of a quality of steel highly superior to any steel used for rails and tempered for extreme hardness of surface, and I securely fasten it in its position and also retain the strength of the frog for carrying weights practically unimpaired. Having formed upon one end of the fixed wingrail the usual guard-bend c and made the contiguous part parallel to one side of the frogpoint, before proceeding to bend the opposite end of the wing-rail into alinement with the other side of the frog-point I provide for the insertion of the insert-block K into the fixed wing-rail C without unduly diminishing the strength thereof by bending the wing-rail outwardly and back again,changing the alinement of vthat part of the rail, forming a recess the width of which diminishes toward the ends, and I place therein the insert-block K, the running side of which forms one side of a flangeway of usual width, the block closing the recess and being sufficiently massive to insure endurance of heavy blows without breaking. The rail-flange under the bent or recessed part of the wing-rail C furnishes a substantial support for the insert-block K when suitably shaped to rest thereon. The side of the rail-head in the recessed part adjacent to the block can be left full size and uncut, but I prefer to plane away some of the side of the raiLhead in the recess to admit a block with upper ends about half an inch wide, as shown in Fig. 1. The adjacent side of the block is preferably fitted to extend under the head of the rail, so that the railhead will engage therewith and thus serve to prevent upward shifting of the block. I have sometimes used an insert-block wide enough at the bottom to extend across the fiangeway and fit the side of the point of the frog and thus serve as a filler, but found it preferable to use, as shown in Fig. l, a separate piece of filler J made of common rolled metal and have the same extend sufficiently beyond the insert-block K to be secured independent of such bolts as pass through the block, by this means providing that in case the hardened insert-block should eventuallybecome cracked, as might be feared with such hard metal, it will nevertheless be confined and prevented from working out of place or becoming in any way a source of danger.

The'means I have employed for binding together the fixed parts of my frog have preferably been bolts, as shown in Fig. 1; but my above-described system of hard-metal reinforcement of fixed wing-rails may be readily adapted to fastening by clamps without departing from the scope of my invention. On the outside of the fixed wing-rail C, I have fitted a strengthening-bar L, preferably shaped to fit the rail as a splice, by which to secure the rail from breakage in case its strength is overtaxed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a movable wing-rail frog, the combination of a frog-point, a movable wing-rail partly alined thereto and partly flared therefrom, and an arm attached to the flared part IOC IIC

of the movable wing-rail, on side adjacent to the frog-point, by lugs above the iiange of the movable rail; said arm extending beneath the frog-point, by which the frog-point prevents the dared end of the movable wingrail from rising, substantially as described.

2. In a movable wing-rail frog, the combination of a frog-point, an arm extending below the frog-point, dependent from the movable wingrail through a slot in ange of ared part of said wing-rail, substantially as described.v

3. In a movable wing-rail frog, the arm D, adapted to extend below point of the frog, and provided with lugs d3l and attached by lugs d2, substantially as described.

4. In a movable wing-rail frog, the combination of movable wing-rail B, and, attached thereto midway between the point of the frog and the toe end of the wing-rail, the combinationarm E, embodying an arm below the opposite fixed wing rail, andl unattached thereto, whereby rising of the movable wingrail is prevented substantially as described.

5. In a movable wing-rail frog, the combination of movable wing-rail and combinationarm E, embodying arm e4 and hollow body e2, substantially as described.

6. In a movable wing-rail frog, the combination-arm E, placed between the Wing-rails, embodying hollow body e2 with recess for introduction of spring, and lugs e for attaching to rail.

7. In a movable wing-rail frog, the railstop H, embodying an overhanging top h2, closed end h3, vertically-disposed side wall, and exterior iianges forming a base, in combination with trussed link F, movable wingrail B, and arm G, substantially as described.

S. The combination `ot a frog-point, adjacent-to an open flangeway, a iixed wing-rail bent out and recessed, proxima'tely to end of the frog-point in combination with a hardmetal insert reinforcement, closing the recess, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a frog-point, adjacent to an open iiangeway'between the frogpoint and a wing-rail, with a hard-metal insert reinforcement, supported on a side ange of the wing-rail, partially covered by head of the wing-rail, and, forming part of the side of the ilangeway, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a ,frog-point, with a itiired wingrail having a part at 011e end bent out for a guard end, and the contiguous part thereof alined parallel to one side of the frog-point, and having the opposite end thereof with a contiguous part alined with the opposite side of the frog-point, with the intervening part of said wing-rail laterally disposed, to form a recess of width diminishing toward the ends, substantially asdescribed.

GEO- W. PARSONS.

i Witnesses: C. ROBINSON PARSONS, BENT L. WEAVER. 

